Scandalous Weddings

Chapter One

"A weddin' or a hangin'. What’ll it be?"

The clan members gathered closer to the fire, laughing and speculating as they waited for the verdict, although Meredith guessed they knew what was coming. She could scarcely conceal a grin. These people must have heard this folk tale a thousand times, but still, the old storyteller held them rapt.

She was held rapt as well, by his story, by the night, by the enchantment of at last arriving on Scottish soil. It was a long way from where she lived in the mountains of North Carolina, but it felt like home, for since her childhood her grandfather had regaled her with stories such as these about Scotland and their kinsmen, the Clan Macrae. Meredith Macrae Wentworth, the American cousin, now sat with those kinsmen around a bonfire in an open field near the village of Corridan on the northern coast of Scotland. In front of her lay the North Sea, behind her rose the Highlands. Above, the aurora borealis shimmered, punctuated frequently by shooting stars.

She had arrived, she decided, in heaven.

That heaven consisted of more than beautiful scenery, however. Today, she'd cheered these Macraes through the local Highland games and forged the beginnings of a heartfelt bond with her clan. She gazed into the fire-warmed faces of the people with whom she shared an ancient and honored bloodline. Ruddy cheeks and sun-bleached hair bespoke their rugged outdoor lives. Broad smiles and genuine affection for each other said even more about these gentle giants who had treated her like a true daughter of Scotland. They embodied a noble character, were dignified in their own rustic way. Until they hit the playing field.

In spite of her enthusiasm for her clan, Meredith was troubled by what she'd witnessed earlier in the day. Unlike the games she helped organize in the States, which were played in a spirit of sportsmanship and camaraderie, the competition today between the Macraes and their rival clan, the Sinclairs, had been fierce and uncompromising, bordering on violence, with insults flying between the players.

Her gaze wandered into the darkness beyond the fire circle where across the field another bonfire lit up the night. Gathered around it were the Sinclairs. The Macraes had filled her ears with tales of an ancient feud between the two clans and made it clear that although the bloodshed had ceased, the enmity had not.

She'd seen the leader of the Sinclairs today, a tall, robust, darkly handsome man who defeated every opponent he faced. Although her clansmen had denounced him, he didn't appear to have horns and a tail as they would have had her believe. He was, in fact, one of the few who had displayed gentlemanly behavior. She'd also found him downright sexy in his traditional Scottish attire. She thought about crossing over to his bonfire to congratulate him on his victories but decided she didn't need to complicate her life by indulging her passing attraction to the Sinclair chieftain. For as much as she would like to remain in this quaint seacoast village, soon she would have to return to North Carolina.

Meredith returned her attention to the storyteller as he completed his yarn. It was a humorous tale, and also sadly poignant, about a young outlaw who was caught stealing cattle from a wealthy laird and who was thrown into the castle dungeon to await hanging. The laird's wife, however, offered to save his life if he would marry their oldest, and very ugly, daughter. The girl was so hard to look at that the thief at first chose hanging, but after several days' consideration in the dark dungeon, he decided instead to let the earl tie the other kind of knot to seal his fate.

Meredith joined in the laughter at the story's end and watched in merriment from the edge of the circle as a bottle of whisky was passed around. She needed no whisky to warm her, for although she was weary, she was suffused with a glow as radiant as the flickering fire. This was all she'd dreamed of and more. At last she was truly a part of the Clan Macrae. And unbelievably, at last she owned a piece of her beloved Scotland. For last night, in a formal ceremony performed entirely in Gaelic, she had inherited the property once belonging to the former clan chieftain, her great-uncle Archibald Macrae.

Uncle Archie, as she'd known him, was her grandfather's brother. He'd kept up with the American side of his family and knew of Meredith's passion for Scotland. She was deeply touched that he would bequeath his belongings to her. She was also pleased that she had managed to follow the Gaelic ceremony. As a hobby she had learned to read and write the ancient language of her forebears, but until now she'd had little opportunity to experience it as a living language.

Along with a small parcel of land and the cottage in which her great-uncle once lived, she had inherited a number of historical artifacts that had been handed down through generations of Macraes. Although honored to be the recipient of these treasures, Meredith wondered if anyone resented them going to an American. That did not appear to be the case, however, for after the ceremony, she had been given a shawl woven in the plaid of the Macrae tartan and wished well by everyone in the community. That's when she'd learned that the village of Corridan was populated mainly by her kinsmen. She smiled to herself and drew the shawl over her shoulders, turning to go. She'd longed for clan kinship; now she belonged to an entire town of Macraes!

Ian Sinclair wished he could share in the enthusiasm of his fellow clansmen as they celebrated their many victories in today's games with drams from his personal stash of fine Duneagen single-malt whisky. He wished, in fact, that he relished the competition as much as they did. As head of the Clan Sinclair, he felt obliged to participate, but a part of him resented the waste of a day. He had so many other, far more pressing problems on his mind than defeating the Macraes on the field of play. He found it depressing, too, that his fellow Sinclairs persisted in perpetuating that age-old feud. At least, he thought, casting a dubious eye on the men who were growing increasingly drunk, in recent years the feud had been confined to this arena. Better that than the sniping and harassment that had gone on before.

Ian turned away from the fire and walked down the lane toward his car, feeling the effort of the day in every muscle. It was nearly midnight, and the sun had at last descended, leaving a twilight sky illuminated with a brilliant show of the mystical northern lights. He was forever awestruck by the aurora borealis and overwhelmed by the majesty of the Highlands of his birth.

He loved this land, fiercely, protectively, although lately he'd begun to wonder why he gave a damn at all. It wasn't a happy land, but rather one that seemed to breed strife. Since he'd become the Sinclair clan chieftain, he had been constantly embroiled in land disputes between his own clansmen. Senseless squabbles, since the land itself had little other than scenic value. Still, Scotsmen would be Scotsmen, he thought morosely. They simply loved to fight.

Then there was the castle. Duneagen, the crumbling ancestral fortress, loomed above him, high on a craggy cliff overlooking the serene bay of Corridan like a dark stain on the night. He had inherited the gloomy pile of stone upon his father's death, and being young and eager, he'd vowed to restore it to its former glory. He hadn't known that like a rapacious monster, it would swallow his already diminished family fortune and wash it down with the profits from the Duneagen Distillery.

Now at age thirty-two, he regretted making that commitment, but he couldn't quit feeding the beast. Ian had dumped so much money into the place in the past seven years, he couldn't afford to stop now and let it fall into ruin after all. He maintained quarters in the one habitable wing of the hulking old palace but most of the time stayed in his small apartment on the estate where he operated the distillery. That way he didn't have to go to bed with his folly every night.

Caught up in his thoughts, Ian didn't see the woman until he collided with her in the darkness, almost knocking her down. Instinctively, he took her elbow. "So sorry. How clumsy of me. I wasn't watching where I was going."

When she turned her face to him, he recognized her instantly-the tall, extraordinarily good-looking redhead he had fancied had been watching him all day. This close to her, even in the dim light, he could see that she wasn't just good-looking; she was beautiful. The fine features of her face were accented with high cheekbones and flawlessly arched brows. Her nose, turned up ever so slightly, appeared dusted with faint freckles, her cheeks burnished by a day in the sun. Although he couldn't discern their color, her wide eyes seemed to reflect the luminescence of the aurora, and her hair spilled in sunset disarray from where she had it fastened on the crown of her head. She had an essence of freshness about her, like the wild wind in the heather, a radiance that seemed to shimmer directly into the darkest corners of his heart. He swallowed hard, confused at the inexplicable emotions she evoked. "Sorry," he managed again.

She offered a tentative smile from the fullness of her lips, but her eyes reflected alarm. "No problem," she replied, drawing her elbow away. "I should have been paying more attention, too."

The woman's lilting accent captivated him further. "You're a stranger in these parts," he said, awkwardly stating the obvious. "An American?"

Cocking her head to one side, she replied curiously, "American in residence, but Scottish at heart." She gave no further explanation, nor did she offer her name. She merely gazed steadily into his eyes for a long moment with a look that turned Ian's insides to molten ore. She blinked at last and smiled a little uncertainly. "I have to go."

Ian didn't want her to go. Women like her were few and far between in northern Scotland, nonexistent in his life. "May I escort you to your car?"

"Don't have one," she answered, turning again to the path. "I'm staying in the village. It's just a short walk." Her tone was dismissive, and Ian got the message. Thanks but no thanks.

Discouraged, he watched her go. Only then did it register that she wore the Macrae tartan draped over her slender frame, and he recalled that she'd been with the Macraes all day. So that was it. She knew he was a Sinclair, and she didn't want to be seen with him.

Ian shook his head in disgust and took a shortcut across the field to where his Land Rover was parked. This was the twentieth century, for God's sake. Almost the twenty-first. When were these people going to grow up?

Chapter Two

Meredith was breathing hard by the time she reached the cottage. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it, her heart pounding heavily, not only from the brisk walk in the thin Highland air, but also from her reaction to the tall, solidly built Scotsman with the deep, resonant voice and rich Scots accent. That accent still echoed in her mind, confounding her that she found it so appealing.

She'd known him immediately. Ian Sinclair. The man she'd watched intently all day. He had been handsome seen from afar. He was drop-dead gorgeous close at hand, with dark, piercing eyes and thick black hair tossed across his forehead by the wind. For the slender space of time that he'd held her by the elbow, she had taken in the breadth and squareness of his shoulders, the well-proportioned height of his body, and had been rendered nearly senseless by the raw power of his masculinity. It had taken several long moments and a lot of willpower to gather her wits and move on down the road. She would have liked to have lingered with him there in the darkness, but he was a Sinclair, and she hadn't wanted any of her clansmen to come upon them together. Being literally the new kid on the block, she didn't want to do anything that might jeopardize her new relations with her blood kin.

Removing the shawl and hanging it on a peg by the door, she admitted that she would love to learn more about Ian Sinclair. Maybe she could ask around about him, quietly, discreetly. For something in his touch and in his eyes had reached into the depths of her being, shaking her, awakening her, seeming to call her to yet another aspect of her Scottish destiny. She knew that was nothing more than a fanciful notion, but she was unable to shake it.

The hour was late and she was tired, but Meredith was too keyed up to sleep. She decided instead to examine the treasures she had inherited. Going to the small wooden chest that sat on a stool in one corner, she raised the lid. At a glance, the Macrae treasures didn't look like much. A battered pewter quaich, the traditional Scots drinking vessel. A dirk with a handle made of a stag horn. A scarred old belt buckle. A rag of a scarf in the colors of the ancient Macrae tartan.

At the bottom, carefully folded in tissue paper, was a tablecloth woven of rough wool reputed to be over two hundred years old. Meredith stroked it with the back of her fingers but did not remove it. She'd wait until bright daylight to take it out. An article of that antiquity was surely fragile, and she didn't want to damage it by over-handling. She gazed at the other items, sending a silent thank-you to her departed great-uncle, for he'd given her far more than these material things, more even than the walls that surrounded her. He'd given her a sense of belonging to the clan.

Looking around the small dwelling, Meredith felt more at home than in any other place she could remember. She'd been in Corridan less than three days, and already her Scottish roots were tickling the bottoms of her feet. She knew she must return to North Carolina, but she wished suddenly that she could just stay here.

It wouldn't be that hard, she mused as she heated water for tea. Other than the tiny Scottish specialty shop, she owned in her small mountain town, there was nothing for her in the States. Her parents had both died, her best friend had married and moved away. Although she had many acquaintances, primarily through her work organizing the Highland Games each year, she was close to no one. She'd had one love affair during college, but after graduation, he'd wanted the city life, and she couldn't bear to leave her beloved mountains. Since college, there had been no "significant other."

It wouldn't be that hard to just stay here, she thought, where the mountains were even more magnificent, her family ties stronger even though her kin were still unfamiliar. She was getting to know them better each day. Meredith poured hot water over a tea bag, her mind traveling eagerly down the path she'd cleared for it.

It would be easy, actually, she told herself. She could sell the business. She already knew someone who wanted it. The house where she lived was a rental, whereas she owned this cottage. She added rich local cream to the cup, along with a pinch of sugar. Sinking into the pillows of the worn sofa opposite the fire, she sipped her tea, thinking of possibilities. Unbidden, the image of Ian Sinclair popped into her mind. Meredith sat up with a start. He was not a possibility.

And yet…

She allowed her mind to wander in his direction. What if she hadn't taken off so quickly back there in the parking lot? She closed her eyes, feeling his closeness, remembering the intensity of his eyes gazing into hers. What if… Ian Sinclair had kissed her? An involuntary shiver of delight ran through her, and Meredith opened her eyes again with a sigh. Her thoughts of moving to Corridan had made her delusional. He was a Sinclair. She was a Macrae. Their families had fought each other for over two centuries. What made her think that things could be different between them? The feud was so ingrained in the minds and hearts of both the Sinclairs and the Macraes it might even be in their genes by now. Forget it, sweetheart, she scolded herself, and for God's sake, get those thoughts of Ian Sinclair out of your mind.

She finished her tea, turned out the lights, undressed and slipped between the cool sheets. But as she drifted off to sleep, those thoughts of Ian Sinclair crept back again and made themselves at home in her dreams.

After a restless night pervaded by dreams of a chance encounter with a gorgeous American woman, Ian awoke with the strangest sensation that his left big toe was leaking. He edged himself up on his elbows and looked with bleary eyes to where his feet had kicked away the covers sometime in the night, and he saw that indeed his toe was wet. He flinched as another drop splashed against it. He looked up. It wasn't the toe that was leaking. It was the ceiling.

"Damnation!" He leapt out of bed and hastened into the clothes he'd dropped on a nearby chair the night before. They smelled of yesterday's games, but he didn't care. He had to find the source of the leak and stop it before it sent the ceiling onto his bed in a soggy plaster rain. He'd just had the roof repaired, and it wasn't raining outside. That left only one possibility as the source of the leak. One of the upstairs bathrooms.

Cursing under his breath, he raced up the stairs, feeling the stone floor cold and hard beneath his bare feet. As he'd feared, water was trickling from one of the five guest suites his grandparents had created on the second floor of the old castle and pooling in the central hall. The prewar plumbing was just one of the many headaches he faced in this renovation project from hell.

Ignoring the frigid water, Ian splashed through the puddle and went into the adjoining bathroom to find water spewing enthusiastically from a rusted split in a pipe. With a jerk and a curse, he closed the cutoff valve, then stood back to survey the damage and decide what to do about it.

The closest plumber was in Corridan, but he disliked calling on the villagers for help. They would come, but in their own sweet time, for they were Macraes, always on the lookout for an opportunity to annoy the Sinclairs. His own neighboring clansmen were spread out over many miles, and he didn't recall there being a decent plumber among them. He decided at last to send one of his engineers from the distillery over to patch things up. That was the trouble with the whole damnable place, he thought, throwing towels on the floor to soak up the water. It was one big patch after another. He didn't have the funds to replace everything that needed it. There was just too much. Roof. Windows. Plumbing. Electric wiring. Stone work. Not to mention furniture and fixtures.

He returned to his quarters below and chanced a quick, hot shower, praying the antiquated pipes would stand the strain. He dressed for work and half an hour later slammed out the door of the only relatively modernized wing of Duneagen Castle. Behind him the once-proud fortress was now a sad mass of weathering stone walls, a legacy he both loved and hated.

Ian considered stopping at the pub in Corridan for a cup of hot coffee to sustain him on the forty-minute drive to Duneagen Distilleries, but as it was already late in the morning, he decided he'd better hurry along to dispatch help for the ailing plumbing in the castle.

The road from the castle wound down from the high promontory and through the village, passing by the cottage once owned by Archibald Macrae. Ian glanced at it as he drove by, wondering if what he'd heard was true, that the old clan chieftain had left it to a distant relative. He gave a silent, sardonic laugh, doubting that a newcomer would be much welcomed in this tightly knit community.

The thought of a stranger in town reminded him of the American woman who had lingered at the fringe of his consciousness all through his morning's difficulties. Who was she? She'd told him she was Scottish at heart, and with her looks, he thought it likely there was Scottish DNA in her genes. From her scarf and her association with his rival clan at the games, Ian guessed she was a Macrae and wondered again if she had dismissed him so abruptly last night because he was a Sinclair. Had this newcomer already let tales of the feud set her against him? If so, she was a fool. A beautiful fool, but someone just as well avoided.

Rounding a corner, he caught his breath, for there, striding into the village on long legs, was the woman in question. She wore close-fitting jeans and a white turtle-neck sweater topped with the shawl she had worn last night. Her hair was piled casually onto her head, adding to her height and accentuating the length of her graceful neck. His reservations of only moments before fled, replaced by rekindled curiosity about her.

As there was but a single road through Corridan, he had no choice but to pass by her, and as he did he slowed and glanced through the car window into her face. She looked toward him and their gazes met, only for an instant, but long enough for him to know that if he weren't careful, he could drown in the sea-green depths of her eyes.

He pressed the accelerator and passed her but caught sight of her again in the rearview mirror. He thought she was watching him, as well. A strange sensation stirred within him, as if he had just seen into his future, and he sensed that somehow his fate was entwined with that of the American stranger. Ian looked away, telling himself that was a ridiculous notion. When he looked back again, she was lost from view.

Chapter Three

Angus Stewart pulled his mid-sized Nissan off the main roadway onto a narrow overlook above the village of Corridan. He killed the engine and got out of the car, stretching his arms and legs. It had been a long drive from Aberdeen. The day was fair and breezy, and he took off his hat and turned his face to the warmth of the late morning sun.

Below him, the unspoiled village looked picture-postcard perfect. Like a movie set. The pristine waters of Corridan Bay sparkled and glinted in the bright summer day, and the beach arched in a shimmering crescent between the protective arms of two promontories that rose steeply from the edge of the sea on either side. Perched on the far cliff, hulking over the harbor like a bird of prey, was an ancient weather-beaten castle.

Angus lit a cigarette and surveyed the area appreciatively. New Horizons Cruise Lines had chosen well. Corridan was an excellent site for their project. The deepwater harbor was both scenic and protected, not large but sufficient to accommodate two of the behemoth liners at a time. The village could be renovated just enough to retain the authentic feel of the past and yet provide the amenities wealthy cruise customers would expect. And the castle. It looked like something out of a storybook. Or would, he decided, after extensive refurbishing. It would cost a bundle, but the investors who had hired him seemed not to care.

"We want to create a fantasy port of call that will give our cruising clientele a taste of 'auld Scotland,' " they'd told him. They planned to bring thousands of international tourists each year to what they envisioned to be a first-rate resort that exuded Highland charm and offered a taste of the past. There was to be a world-class golf course, five-star dining, offshore fishing. The castle was to be the playground of patrons who wanted to experience the life of a Scottish laird or lady, at least for a night or two. Angus smirked. The cruise line specialized in making such fantasies come true. All it took was money.

The cynical solicitor had no reservations about what he'd been hired to do, telling himself the resort was a much more profitable use of the land than it had known in the past. The old crofters who lived here were an anachronism, and the land was nearly barren except for the few scraggly livestock they owned. Far better to turn it over to tourism.

Angus finished his cigarette with one long last drag, then flicked it over the railing where it rolled down the steep hillside. He didn't really give a damn what his clients did with the land. All he wanted was to successfully complete his assignment and collect his pay. He'd been hired to purchase the land for the American-owned company, and he was determined to do it quickly and economically, for his fee was based on a sliding scale. The better the price he negotiated for the houses and farms and businesses of Corridan, as well as the castle and its environs, the more money he would make on the deal.

It would be tricky, he knew, for it was an all-or-nothing proposition. He had to convince every single villager to sell out and move away. The same with the chieftain of the Clan Sinclair. Unless he could secure the entire area, the owners of the cruise line could not implement their plans.

Angus Stewart smiled to himself, returned to his vehicle and headed down the hill into the village. He would succeed, for he had worked out an ingenious plan of his own. He was nothing if not one of Aberdeen 's most creative solicitors.

Not knowing how long she might stay in Corridan, Meredith had not yet bought groceries for the cottage. With only a cup of hot tea for breakfast, by eleven o'clock she was ravenous. Donning her new shawl, she'd set out on the short walk into the village, wondering what time the little pub served lunch.

About halfway to town, she'd heard a car approaching from behind her, too fast, it seemed, for the narrow road. She turned and watched as a dark green Land Rover careened around a turn in the road. It slowed as it came nearer, and her heart lurched as she recognized the driver.

Ian Sinclair.

He made no attempt to stop and greet her, but she was not surprised after the way she'd hurried away from him the night before. He did, however, cast a glance her way, and his face seemed set in a scowl. A most handsome scowl, but unfriendly nonetheless. She jumped as he suddenly accelerated and wondered if the getaway gesture was in reply to her own abrupt dismissal of him the night before.

Perturbed more by her undeniable attraction to the man than his abrupt exit, Meredith continued on, reaching the old whitewashed pub only moments later. She immediately noticed a bright red Nissan sedan in the adjacent car park. It stood out from the rest of the vehicles not only in color, but also in size and youth. Curious, she wondered if a tourist had wandered off the beaten path or gotten lost. Corridan was remote, and the roads leading here were rough.

She pushed open the door and walked in on a heated exchange between three local men and a stranger who sat at a table in the corner. He was a small fellow, with thinning brown hair combed back from his forehead to hide his encroaching baldness. His beaked nose, slanting forehead, and weak chin gave him the look of a rodent, she decided. Meredith ordered a ploughboy sandwich from the bartender, a man she knew only as "Mac." He nodded, but she could tell he was distracted and had one ear tuned to the men in the corner. She turned her attention to them as well.

"I'm telling you, you have no legal claim to this land," the stranger said emphatically. "I've searched the historical records of ownership of this entire area, and you Macraes were all run out, quite legally, by the Earl of Sinclair in 1815. Back then, it was called a 'clearing,' and the earl cleared the lands around Duneagen Castle as far as the eye could see to run sheep. Any of your families who came back on the land since then did so illegally. You have no valid title of ownership." That said, he sat back with a defiant glare, daring them to challenge him.

The locals rose to the bait. "You're a liar," Sandy Macrae growled, his already ruddy face turning an even deeper shade of red. "Who are ye, and what'd ye come here for? Why are ye sayin' these things?"

Meredith's pulse quickened. Who indeed was this odious little man, and what did he hope to gain by stirring up trouble with such preposterous claims?

He reached into his jacket pocket and took out some business cards and spread them on the table. "The name's Stewart. Angus Stewart. I'm a solicitor, but I'm not your enemy. I came here because I've learned that history may be about to repeat itself, and I want to help you."

"What in th' name of Saint Brigid are ye talkin' about?" Fergus Macrae demanded, standing with legs apart and arms folded, blocking the rear exit with his bulk.

"The Sinclair may be going to do it again. A clearing, I mean. Not for sheep this time, but for tourists."

Meredith's eyes widened even as her heart plummeted to the pit of her stomach. Surely she wasn't hearing correctly.

"Go on with ye," Mac yelled from behind the bar. "There's no such thing in these times."

Angus Stewart gave him a knowing look. "I wouldn't be so sure, if I were you."

The front door opened and several more men from the village hurried in, along with a boy who had been sent to fetch them. "What's up? Why'd y' send for us, Mac?"

"This here bloke's tryin' t' convince us th' Sinclair's about t' do a clearin' round here," Mac filled them in. "Says we don't have legal claim t' our land and that we're about t' be run off it."

Meredith couldn't believe her ears. Surely everyone had some kind of legal title to their property. These families had been here for eons. But then she thought back to the ceremony of two nights ago, when her great-uncle's property was transferred to her. There had been no transfer of a deed. Simply a reading of the will and the consensus of the clan.

Where was the paperwork?

As if reading her thoughts, Angus Stewart asked the villagers, "Where is the proof that you own your land? The papers that verify it was purchased legally? I have searched every kind of record I can think of in towns from here to Aberdeen," he said, then added with a hopeless shrug, "I've not found one shred of evidence that any of this land was ever purchased from the Earl of Sinclair."

The room grew quiet. Meredith saw the men exchange troubled glances, and a terrible fear began to gnaw at her. Could this man's claims possibly be true? Was there a threat of the villagers being evicted? If so, what would he gain from coming to warn them?

Years of fending for herself in the world gave her the courage to confront the man. She edged off the stool at the bar and moved to the front of the crowd. "Who sent you here?"

The man jumped to his feet, obviously surprised at being challenged by a young woman. "The name's Stewart, ma'am. Angus Stewart. I represent a landowner in Aberdeen who, hearing of the plight of the people here in Corridan, has generously offered to relocate all of you at a most reasonable cost."

Meredith heard the rumble of disbelief from the men assembled around her. She herself found it difficult to believe the man's scam was so transparent. "So you're here to sell land?"

She saw the blood rise to redden his face. "I'm here because I'm a decent chap," he replied defensively. "I've gone to a lot of trouble to check out the rumor that there are plans to develop this land into a tourist resort. It's not just a rumor, ma'am. It's a project that's already in the planning stages. And if, as I believe to be the case, the Sinclair does indeed hold legal title to this land, there is nothing to prevent him from evicting all of you to make way for the resort." He turned sympathetic eyes to the villagers.

"For my whole career, I've made my living representing the common man," he told them, "and I'm a Scotsman born and bred. I don't want to see my country invaded by hordes of foreigners in a commercial venture such as this that will mean nothing short of the rape of this glorious land. I undertook my research thinking I could prevent it by disproving the Sinclair's claim of ownership. Then, when I discovered that his claim might stand up in court, I searched for ways to lessen the blow to my countrymen-you, the common people, who will suffer, just as your forefathers did two centuries ago at the hands of the Sinclair."

Meredith looked around and saw that Stewart was punching the right buttons to stir the Macrae hatred of the Sinclairs. But his words rang false to her. She listened carefully as he continued.

"That's when I approached my client to see if he could help. This good man has created a pleasant subdivision on the outskirts of Aberdeen and has not only offered to sell you a plot of land with a new cottage on it at a very reasonable price, he's willing to give each and qvery person in this village who is being so brutally uprooted a moving allowance."

Angus Stewart dropped his head and studied his hands. Then he returned his gaze to the crowd who stood before him stunned and speechless. "It's not much," he said in a voice just above a whisper, as if emotion were caught in his throat. "But it's something at least to make up for the land you'll be losing. Please, I beg you, consider my offer. Let me help you."

Chapter Four

All hell broke loose in the pub after Angus Stewart left the premises. Mac had sent the boy to the fishermen at the seashore and the farmers in the fields, to alert those who hadn't been in the impromptu meeting that something bad was afoot. In a few minutes, the tiny public house was bulging with men and women wanting to know what was going on.

Robert Macrae, the clan chieftain, moved to the far side of the room and, placing a finger at each side of his mouth, emitted an earsplitting whistle that immediately commanded everyone's attention. When the room was quiet, he briefly repeated Stewart's story.

"Could it be true?" asked one woman, and Meredith heard the edge of hysteria in her voice.

"Of course it's not true. Th' man's off his head," said another, although not sounding convinced.

"It's th' curse…" came from a woman standing nearby, an utterance that renewed the general commotion.

The Macrae gave another whistle. "Quiet, all of you. There's no need for panic," he told them. "We own this land. We've lived on it for generations and there's never been a question about it. This is likely some scheme made up by that weaselly solicitor to make a fast quid at our expense."

"Maybe," said Mac, his voice heavy with suspicion, "but then again, maybe he's tellin' th' truth. Maybe th' Sinclair is plottin't' take over our land."

"If he wants mine," vowed Sandy Macrae, "he'll have t' kill me for it."

"I'll kill him first," shouted another, and the rest echoed the sentiment.

Meredith felt sick to her stomach. This wasn't the Scotland of her dreams. This was more like a nightmare. These people… her people… had suddenly been transformed from respectable, hardworking Highlanders into a murderous mob by the words of a solicitor. An outsider. Why were they listening to him? Did they think for one minute that they did not legally own their land? Did they believe Ian Sinclair and his clan might actually try to take it from them? Or were they just reacting from the inbred hatred in their hearts for the Clan Sinclair?

She pushed through the crowd and out the door. Leaning against the cool stone wall of the building, she inhaled deeply of the rarefied Highland air, trying to settle her nerves and sort things out. A thousand questions assailed her. Did she, or any of them, have legal deeds as proof they owned their property? Were the clans about to go to war? And what on earth did that woman mean by "It's th' curse"?

The biggest question in her mind was, who had hired Angus Stewart? Did he represent some altruistic land developer in Aberdeen? Meredith doubted it. It made more sense that Stewart was in the employ of the man who stood to benefit from taking their land virtually for free. Ian Sinclair. He owned the castle. Now he wanted the village. She'd heard the upkeep of the castle kept him nearly broke, and it made sense that he might try to develop a resort to fund the preservation of his fortress high on the hill Squinting into the hazy sunlight, she could see it from where she stood and could tell even from a distance it was in sore need of major restoration.

Why didn't he just offer to buy the property from the villagers? But she knew the answer almost as soon as the thought occurred to her-the Macraes would never sell an inch of their soil to a Sinclair.

No, he would logically have had to resort to some more devious plan. Meredith suspected that Ian Sinclair had negotiated with the developer of the Aberdeen subdivision to subsidize the cost of that property, hoping the Macraes, in fear that their land was not their own, would take up the sweet deal and relocate with little resistance. Stewart was just the go-between.

But why, she wondered again, would the Macraes fear for ownership of their land? Unless…

Her earlier question reared its head again. Where was the paperwork?

Ian Sinclair looked at the business card his secretary handed him. Why in God's name was a solicitor from Aberdeen calling on him? He had little patience with solicitors even on the best of days, and today wasn't one of them. His engineer had called from Duneagen with an exorbitant estimate of the cost of repairing the plumbing, and a large pallet of his finest Duneagen single-malt had fallen from a forklift while being loaded into a shipping container and crashed onto the dock. Insurance would cover the financial loss, but the thought of the exquisite eighteen-year-old Scotch dripping away between the boards of the creosote-covered wharf was almost enough to make him cry.

"Show him in, but ring me in ten minutes," he instructed his secretary, who gave him a knowing smile.

Angus Stewart cut neither an impressive nor threatening figure. He was short, unhandsome, and seemed somehow… oily. "What can I do for you, Mr. Stewart?" Ian asked politely, indicating for the man to take a seat.

The solicitor sat down, placed his briefcase on the floor at his side, and then turned a warm smile on Ian. "The question is, Mr. Sinclair, what can I do for you?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"I know you are a busy man, so I'll get right to the point. In addition to being a solicitor, I am also an ardent fan of Scottish history. I am particularly interested in the preservation of the ancient architectural treasures of our nation, such as Duneagen Castle. I have learned, sir, that you have expended commendable effort, not to mention substantial private funds, to restore Duneagen."

In spite of the man's ingratiating words, Ian was irked that the solicitor had been poking around in his affairs. "And how, may I ask, did you come to know this?"

Stewart's eyes pierced him with a calculating gaze. "As you will discover, sir, research is my forte. It's my job to learn many things on behalf of my clients. I apologize if I have intruded unwittingly into forbidden territory, but please hear me out. I'm here, sir, as the representative of a group of investors who are interested in purchasing Duneagen Castle with the intent of completely restoring it to its former glory."

Ian thought his ears deceived him. "You want to buy Duneagen Castle?"

"My clients do, yes. Might you possibly entertain an offer?"

After the morning's frustration with the plumbing and the prospect of yet another major expenditure on the castle, Ian was almost ready to give the bloody thing away. But his suspicions were aroused. "Perhaps," he replied, "but as you undoubtedly learned in the course of your… ah… research, it will take a veritable fortune to achieve those ends. What do your clients plan to do with the castle once it is restored?"

Stewart rubbed the palms of his hands together and gave him another solicitous smile. "Ah, I detect a kindred spirit, a loyal Scot, someone who cares what happens to our historical treasures," he said. "Although it is not of high priority to them, once the structure is sound and the decor authentic to the date of its construction, I believe they will open it to the public, much like Stirling or Holyrood."

The thought took Ian by surprise. He'd never considered anyone would pay to look at Duneagen, it was so remote and inaccessible. Yet, so was Dunnottar, on the eastern coast, and it had become a tourist attraction even in its state of ruin. "They'd have to charge a lot of money to make it pay for the renovations," he remarked.

"Yes," Stewart agreed, "they would."

Ian leaned back in his chair and furrowed his fingers through his hair. "I don't know, Mr. Stewart. That castle is part of the Sinclair heritage. Technically, I am the Earl of Sinclair, although I don't go in for titles. Still, I'm not inclined to sell my clan's crumbling legacy at any price."

He heard Angus Stewart exhale a deep breath. "That is unfortunate, Mr. Sinclair. For if we could work out an arrangement, it wouldn't be necessary to bring to light the rest of what I've discovered in my research."

Ian's head snapped up at the threat inherent in his words. "And what would that be?"

"In delving through the archives of the past two hundred years," Stewart said slowly, "I found something very interesting that took place around the turn of the eighteenth century." He paused, as if for effect. "In 1811, to be exact. Before that date, Duneagen Castle and all the lands surrounding it belonged to… the Clan Macrae."

Ian leaned forward, incredulous. "What? What are you talking about?"

"Your forefathers stole it." Stewart smiled pleasantly.

"It never belonged to the Sinclairs, and it doesn't to this day. Duneagen Castle is rightfully owned by the Macraes. Now, that being the case, I could, and should, I suppose, make my offer to the Macrae chieftain down in Corridan. But it's easier sometimes just to go with the status quo. Some things are best left alone, don't you agree, Mr. Sinclair?" "You're insane."

"I thought you might have a little trouble believing my research, so I took the liberty of bringing along photocopies of the papers I found to prove my point." He snapped open his briefcase and took out a thin sheaf of paper attached with a metal clip. He threw it on Ian's desk.

"When you've had time to study this, I will contact you again," he said, rising. "My clients are prepared to make you a reasonable offer, Mr. Sinclair, but they hope to buy it for a reasonable price. They will, after all, be investing a great deal more than the initial purchase price to bring the castle back to life." He went to the door, then looked back over his shoulder. "Look at it this way, Mr. Sinclair. Something is better than nothing."

Chapter Five

It had been nearly a week since the solicitor named Angus Stewart had dropped his little bomb on the villagers, but nothing had been resolved, and rumors flew thick and fast. Meredith had tried to gain information from Robert Macrae, but he'd explained little, making her feel like an outsider again. Discouraged, Meredith wondered what, if anything, she could do to protect the interests of her clansmen. She wasn't a solicitor, just a twenty-nine-year-old woman with a lot of common sense and a good head for business. She was unsure what good that would do her, a foreigner not only to this country but also to its culture, but she was determined to try to get to the bottom of this. She hoped a walk on the beach might clear her mind and give her some inspiration.

The sun was high in the sky, golden against brilliant blue. To one side, blackened granite cliffs rose in a sheer vertical wall. To the other, the ocean lapped placidly at the coarse sand and splashed over mossy shards of rock that had long ago tumbled from the cliff. Seagulls chattered noisily as they plunged into the frigid waters in search of dinner. But her mind was not on the dramatic natural beauty that surrounded her.

She was worried sick about the solicitor's threat. Her newfound relations were in a turmoil, as not a single one could produce a deed to their property. Although Robert Macrae had assured them that their ownership could be proved by the long history of their possession, Meredith thought he was being naive.

These people lived a simple, remote life. She doubted that there was even a computer in the village. There were only two telephones, one in the pub, the other in a traditional red phone booth at the center of town. The people of Corridan were provincial and vulnerable, ripe pickings for an unscrupulous solicitor like Stewart and his client, Ian Sinclair.

She was also deeply disturbed by what she'd learned about Ian Sinclair from Robert Macrae. He had told her of the man's almost obsessive determination to renovate the castle and of his cutthroat business practices. She was convinced the Sinclair chieftain would stop at nothing to achieve his goals and believed he might be capable of evicting the villagers to create an income-producing resort property.

She heard barking and looked down the beach, where she saw a black-and-white dog racing back and forth, playing in the shallow waves. Meredith smiled for the first time that day. She recognized it as a border collie, one of those highly intelligent animals used by the Highlanders to tend their sheep. So taken was she with the antics of the dog that she failed to realize that it was followed by a man walking toward her on the beach.

A tall man, with dark hair and broad shoulders. Her heart skipped a beat. Ian Sinclair.

Her first instinct was to run, but suddenly she decided to hold her ground. Maybe this was providential. She wanted answers. Here was the man to give them to her. That was one thing she could do with her common sense. Ask questions. She leaned back against a large boulder, one leg bent and propped on the rock, arms folded, and waited.

If Ian Sinclair saw her, he didn't show it. He walked slowly but steadily, his hands in his pockets, head down, as if deep in thought. He wore a dark fisherman's sweater and jeans. He didn't look like a villain. He looked, in fact, like a man with troubles as worrisome as her own. For an instant, she considered that-maybe he wasn't at the root of this business with Stewart after all.

Surprised by the momentary flash of sympathy she felt for him, Meredith frowned and reined in her feelings. Of course he was behind Stewart. Who else could it possibly be? Her momentary lapse in reason was caused by nothing more than her physical attraction to him. That, she told herself sternly, was something she would just have to get over.

The dog spotted Meredith long before its master did and came bounding toward her. She reached down with one hand and petted its head. "Hey, boy. Or are you a girl?" she said, scratching the animal behind the ears. She heard a sharp whistle and the dog took off, racing back to the man who had come to a standstill about twenty yards away.

"I'm sorry if he was bothering you," he said.

"He wasn't. I love dogs. What's his name?"

"Domino. He's not a pet."

Meredith felt as if she'd been scolded for being friendly to the animal. "Then I won't pet him," she returned, annoyed, but she held his gaze defiantly. Silence stretched awkwardly between them, and she became aware that her heart was thundering in her chest, not from fear or intimidation, but from an altogether different emotion. A physical reaction to his presence surged from somewhere deep inside, a totally inappropriate emotional response considering the circumstances. A response called desire.

"What are you doing here?" he asked brusquely. Desire beat a hasty retreat.

"Why?" she replied sharply, recovering quickly. "Is this your private beach?"

He stepped closer, his dark eyes riveting hers until she thought she might squirm. "In Corridan, I mean. What are you doing in the village?"

Meredith was confused by his question and the challenging attitude behind it, but she refused to be bullied. She lifted her chin. "I'm visiting my relatives."

His frown deepened and he gave her a look that said he clearly disbelieved her. "Visiting? Are you sure you're not here on some other…business?"

Running into the American woman on the beach was just the perfect capper for the Week from Hell. Ian had nearly exploded in anger after Angus Stewart left* but the questions the solicitor had planted in his mind had disturbed him all week, making it difficult to concentrate on work, which irritated the hell out of him. He'd come to the castle for the weekend to rest and think, and this morning he'd set out early to walk the moors above Duneagen where he usually found solace and peace of mind. He had hiked vigorously for hours, up over the crest and down the far side, his mind so intent on discrediting Angus Stewart's claim that he was unaware that his cousin's dog had joined him.

Unfortunately, instead of finding some reason to believe Stewart was mistaken, Ian had only managed to conclude that the solicitor's claim could be true. His an-cestors could have stolen the property from the Macraes, although in the ways of the clans of old, possession equaled ownership, and winning a battle was an accepted means of transferring property. After two hundred years of claimed ownership, however, Ian believed the land would be considered Sinclair property, regardless of any lack of official documentation. Still, he'd set his family's barrister onto it just to make sure.

The question remained, who was behind Angus Stew-

art? Who were these investors, and were they as benignly benevolent as he'd maintained? Ian's gut told him that wasn't the case.

A bothersome thought had occurred to him somewhere along the way. Odd, that two strangers would suddenly appear in the vicinity within a day or so of one another. Angus Stewart and the American woman whose name he still did not know. Was she somehow involved in this? If she was like so many Americans of Scottish descent, she was probably a passionate student of Scottish history. She might have poked into the troubled history of her clan, found one of those instances of "change of ownership" on the battlefield, and come up with the charge that the Sinclairs had stolen Duneagen Castle from her ancestors. Was she rich, though? Did she have the money to pull off the extensive restoration? Or was it just a scam to get him to part with his family's ancestral castle for pennies on the pound?

The irony was that at this point Ian Sinclair would have welcomed help in restoring the old castle. But he'd be damned if he'd be bulldozed by anyone, solicitor or lady, into selling Duneagen Castle.

And now, here he was, face-to-face with that lady, challenging her with all the raw anger he had built up over the afternoon. "Are you sure you're not here on some other… business?" He'd blurted the question that had been on his mind more bluntly than he'd meant to, and he saw defiance ignite in her deep green eyes.

"What other business would that be, Mr. Sinclair, and why is it any business of yours?"

He regretted his brusqueness. He suspected her, but she hadn't been proven guilty. Hell, he knew nothing about her. The wind stole a wisp of her russet hair from its nest and teased it against her fair face, and suddenly, irrationally, Ian wanted to reach out and touch it. "I'm sorry," he said, easing out of his frown. "I was out of line." He attempted a smile. "Ye have the advantage of knowing my name." His eyes fastened on the flutter of the coppery strand of hair. "May I know yours?"

She tucked the hair behind her ear. "I'm Meredith Wentworth. Meredith Macrae Wentworth." She pushed away from the rock and walked toward the shore. "My great-uncle was Archibald Macrae, chieftain of the Clan Macrae until his recent death."

So she was the distant relative… "I knew the Macrae," Ian said, watching as she slipped her hands into the hip pockets of her jeans. "He was a reasonable and respected man. My condolences."

She turned to him with a look of surprise. "I didn't know the Macraes and the Sinclairs were on speaking terms."

"Your uncle helped me forge what precarious peace we have between the clans," he told her. "He was a good man. Did ye know him?"

She gave him a dubious glance. "Unfortunately, I never met him. We talked on the phone from time to time, when my grandfather, his brother, was still alive."

" 'Tis too bad ye couldn't come to Scotland before he died."

She dropped her gaze, and he saw a shadow of sadness on her face. "Yes. I regret that I never took the time, and now he's gone." She looked up at him, her expression bleak. "He left me a legacy," she said at last in explanation of her belated visit. "His land and cottage and a few other items of Macrae memorabilia. He knew how much I loved my Scottish heritage."

Enough to have come up with the claim being made by Angus Stewart? Ian wondered. His earlier suspicions came charging back. She might have come to Corridan to claim her inheritance, but he wasn't convinced that was the only reason for her visit. If he could keep her talking, perhaps he'd learn the rest.

"Would ye care to walk down the beach with me?"

She shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"

"I take it from your comment about the Macraes and the Sinclairs that ye've been told about our feud. Maybe ye wouldn't want to be seen with me?"

"Clan feuds are, or should be, passe," she told him as they hit a stride along the sand. "I mean, this is 1998."

"Tell that to our kinsmen," Ian laughed, liking her good sense, wishing both their clans shared it. Wishing, too, that he could take her hand as they walked. In spite of his doubts about her, she was the most engaging woman he'd met in years. Maybe ever. It wasn't just her looks, although he was completely taken with her sexy, fresh-faced appeal. She was also bright, sharp-witted. He suspected she could hold her own in any conflict or debate.

Too bad that despite her appeal, despite her talk about feuds being outmoded, she might be behind an action that would undoubtedly ignite a new conflict between the Sinclairs and the Macraes. She would need all those sharp wits and more if she dared pursue the backhanded affair presented to him by her agent, for he would fight her with every ounce of Sinclair blood in his veins. Keeping pace alongside her, enjoying her company, he hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Chapter Six

Later that night Meredith soaked in the old claw-footed tub, wishing she had some of her favorite bath salts to ease the stiffness in her muscles. She was unused to such strenuous exercise. So engrossed were they in conversation, she and Ian Sinclair had walked miles before she realized it.

Meredith ran some cool water and splashed it in her face, thinking about Ian Sinclair. She didn't know what to make of the man. She wanted to distrust him. Did distrust him, actually. Yet, his entire manner was that of a man who cared as deeply as she did about Scotland and his own heritage. Although she'd been unsuccessful in ferreting any suspect plans out of him, he'd told her some remarkable stories about recent flare-ups between their clans, before the two chieftains had worked together to arrive at an agreement that all future conflict would be confined to the playing field. He'd said that like her, he deplored the futile family feud and told her he hoped that the new Macrae would continue to enforce that policy.

He hadn't for a minute sounded like a man about to evict the people of Corridan.

Yet she knew it could only be a bluff, an outward show of goodwill to cover his real intent. She just wished she knew what that intent was. It would help her decide her own intentions toward Ian Sinclair.

Giving up the bath at last, she shivered into a towel and then into a long wool skirt and sweater. The purple and blue Pride of Scotland, a new tartan, had become a favorite, and she loved the way the long full skirt felt almost like a cozy blanket around her legs.

Her stomach growled, and she realized how hungry she was. She took the small kg of lamb she'd purchased earlier at the village store from the tiny fridge and seasoned it with garlic and rosemary. It was too much for one person, but she could make sandwiches from the leftovers. Placing the roast in the oven, she poured herself a glass of wine.

Only then did she allow thoughts of Ian Sinclair to wander through her mind again. How could she learn the truth about the man? Not from her kinsmen, she was certain. They were so prejudiced against the Sinclair that no one, not even Robert Macrae, seemed to be able to think objectively about them.

She'd learned a little about him on their hike. He was thirty-two, had never been married, and appeared to be a classic type-A workaholic. In addition to Duneagen Castle, he had inherited his family's distillery business, and if what he said was true, he'd managed to turn it from a small "boutique" operation into a firm that exported quality aged single-malt Scotch to countries, around the world. Apparently in the process, he had undercut some smaller distilleries, which would have gone out of business if he hadn't bought them out instead. Cutthroat business practices?

In the conversation about his business he'd given her the only hint that he might be inclined to be involved in the plan that Angus Stewart had said he threatened. He'd remarked that the castle renovations drained the profits from the distillery and said that he had to find another way to fund the restoration. By turning Corridan into a tourist trap?

He'd acted strangely about the castle, too, probing her with questions about its history, as if she should know all about it. She'd been annoyed at first, wondering why he was bent on testing her knowledge of the area, but he'd backed off when she'd admitted how ignorant she really was about the history of Corridan. "I didn't even know there was a feud before I came here," she'd pointed out.

He'd grown quiet after that. Introspective almost. He was an interesting man, she decided. And very sexy. Her heart did a little flip-flop at the thought of his dark blue eyes and truant black hair that insisted on falling in disarray across his wide forehead. His ancestry was obviously the dark Celtic Scots, while hers was the fair-haired Vikings. Was the conflict between their families that ancient?

The aroma of garlic and rosemary began to permeate the small cottage, and Meredith started toward the kitchen nook to peel some small potatoes when she heard a knock at the door. Maybe it was Robert Macrae, checking on her. He and his wife, Anne, had been so kind. Not only had they driven all the way to Aberdeen to pick her up from the airport, but they had treated her as if she were close kin. She had grown fond of them in the short time she'd known them. When she opened the door, however, it was not Robert Macrae who greeted her.

"I hope I'm not intruding. I would have called, but there is a definite lack of telephones in the village." Ian Sinclair handed her a large bundle of wild heather, rich and purple in full bloom. "I gathered it from behind the castle. There's also a lack of florists around here."

The earlier flip-flop of her heart turned into manic palpitations. The man at her door was a blend of Prince Charming and the boy next door. He wore a white shirt and tie with a tweed jacket, but instead of slacks, he had on a tartan kilt and knee socks that outlined the muscles of his calves. His hair blew in the light evening breeze, and his eyes twinkled.

"I was hoping ye might go to dinner with me over in Craigmont," he said.

"Please, come in." Meredith found her breath at last and struggled to regain her senses. "I… I've already put on a leg of lamb. But there is plenty. Won't you join me here instead?" Oh, my God, what am I doing?

He stepped through the small door, filling the cottage with his size and presence. "Are ye sure? It smells wonderful, and I rarely have the pleasure of a home-cooked meal. We can go to Craigmont another time."

"I would enjoy the company," she replied weakly, her defenses destroyed by his good looks and the charm of his decidedly Scots accent. She took the heather and deposited it into the only thing she could find large enough to hold it, a pewter pitcher that stood on the mantel. Then she turned and asked, only half teasing, "You don't think I'd poison a Sinclair?"

He just grinned in reply. "What can I do to help?"

You can leave and let me come back to earth, she thought, but aloud she said, "I'm not used to these chilly summer evenings yet. Would you see to the fire?"

Meredith Wentworth was more beautiful than ever, Ian thought, questioning again the wisdom of his call at her cottage. But it seemed as if he couldn't help himself. His body appeared to be functioning independently of his brain and had brought him here even against his better judgment. Seeing her before him now, a vision in a heather-purple tartan skirt and angora sweater, he wasn't sorry.

After they had parted on the beach, he had returned to the castle intent on doing some book work he'd been unable to finish during the week. Instead, he'd showered and shaved, his mind filled with images of a tall, lithe redhead striding alongside him on the beach, thoughts that tantalized him in a most sensual manner. From there, he'd gone to gather heather, as if it were the most natural activity in the world. He'd never taken heather to a woman in his life.

She might be his enemy, but while they were together, she had given him no indication that she knew enough to be behind the plot to obtain Duneagen Castle. If she knew anything at all about the old fortress, she'd hidden it well behind a screen of feigned ignorance. He hadn't invited her to dinner to continue to probe her for guilt in the matter, however. He found he simply wanted to be with her again. All the same, he planned to keep his ears open.

Ian stoked the fire, then turned to face her. "It's a nice place. What do ye plan to do with it when ye return to the States?"

He saw her hands pause in the stirring of the potatoes she was sauteing on the kitchen stove. "I… I don't know."

"I suppose ye could rent it out."

She turned and gave him a slight smile. "Or, I could just stay here. Actually, I've been thinking about that."

Ian was surprised but at the same time strangely pleased at the prospect. The woman looked as if she belonged here, in these mountains, among the wind and heather and wild open spaces. "But what would ye do?" Restore an old castle?

"I haven't gotten that far," she laughed as she finished cooking. "It's probably all just a pipe dream anyway." She brought the platter of lamb and potatoes to the table. "Come. Dinner's ready." She indicated a chair. "Will you pour the wine?"

"It was good of ye to have me on such short notice," Ian said, refilling her glass and pouring the stout red liquid into another that was set at his place.

Their eyes met, and he saw a lovely blush color her cheeks. "It was good of you to invite me out," she said at last and raised her glass to his. "I'll take a rain check."

Warring emotions stirred within him as Ian took a seat at her table and tasted the succulent meal she was sharing with him. Even though he suspected she had hired Angus Stewart and had designs on his family legacy, he was at the same time drawn to her so strongly it almost hurt. She was the woman he'd dreamed of someday having in his life, and yet if she were deceiving him with her innocence and charm, that could never be. He had to know the truth.

"Delicious," he complimented her.

"Thanks. Lamb is one of my favorite dishes, but it's hard to find in my small town in North Carolina."

"What's it like there?"

"I live in the Blue Ridge Mountains. They're very much like these mountains, only not as grand. I run a little shop in a small town near several ski resorts, specializing in Scottish gifts and apparel."

Ian nearly dropped his fork. This woman was a shopkeeper? She looked more like a princess. This bit of information, however, gladdened him, for a shopkeeper would surely not have the money to undertake the restoration of a crumbling castle.

"I was wondering where ye got such a bonny tartan skirt," he said. "A person doesn't find that kind of weave in these parts."

Again the rosy blush. My God, but she was beautiful.

"It's not a clan tartan," she said. "It's a new design-"

She was interrupted by a sharp rap at the door, and Ian saw the color drain instantly from her face. "Oh, dear," she said. "That must be Robert and Anne."

Ian understood her distress. Likely she didn't want her clansmen to know she was entertaining a Sinclair. It could be awkward for her in spite of her egalitarian attitude toward the feud. But another thought suddenly occurred to him. What if it wasn't her clansmen who had come knocking? He stood, half expecting to see Angus Stewart at the door.

"Robert!" Meredith greeted her caller over-enthusiastically. "Come in. Have you had supper? I've.1 leg of lamb on the table. There's plenty."

Robert Macrae removed the flat cap from his head and came into the single living area of the cottage. "Thanks, but Anne's just fed me fine. I just stopped in to see if ye needed-" He broke off in mid-sentence when he saw Ian. The two clan chieftains stared at each other mutely for a long moment, then Robert turned to Meredith, and Ian saw the man's face grow fiery red.

"Sorry. I dinna know ye had company."

Chapter Seven

She had nothing to feel guilty for. Nothing! And yet Meredith could have died when she saw the look on Robert Macrae's face when he'd realized who was dining with her in the cottage. The Macrae had departed immediately without saying another word, leaving Meredith with the distinct impression she had in some way betrayed her clan. It infuriated her.

She turned to Ian and raised her chin just a little. "Shall we finish supper?" she asked, angry at her kinsman, not her guest. If her clansmen would spend more time talking with the Sinclairs and less time fighting, maybe the rivals could at last resolve their differences.

"I'll leave if it would help," Ian offered.

Meredith glanced at the door. "No, damn them. I'm a Macrae, but I refuse to get involved in this ridiculous clan war."

She saw a glint of humor in his eyes. "If ye're a Macrae in these parts, ye'll have little choice."

"Then maybe I'd better just go home." She took her seat and reached for her wine glass, but his hand covered hers and enveloped it in its warmth and strength.

"Or stay and try to put an end to it."

Meredith looked up at him in surprise, wondering if he could feel her pulse racing. "What on earth are you talking about?"

Ian did not reply immediately, but his fingers caressed her hand, and his eyes probed hers. "I'm talking about giving up certain… plans… and picking up where your uncle left off in the peacemaking process."

What plans was he talking about? Her plans to return home? Her heart skipped a beat at the thought that he wanted her to stay. "Do you think anyone would listen to an outsider?" she asked, finding the idea of being a peacemaker between the clans appealing. And finding her suspicions of Ian Sinclair melting away. He couldn't be the beast her kinsmen believed him to be. His expression was sincere, his eyes guileless.

"I think you could be very convincing. But it wouldn't he easy. Your kinsmen are a stubborn lot."

"And yours aren't?" Meredith grinned and withdrew her hand at last, not because she took offense at his comment about her relatives but rather because holding hands with him made her feel a little too vulnerable.

They returned to the interrupted meal that was now nearly cold and ate without talking for a few minutes. Then Ian asked, "What is it about Corridan that makes you think you want to stay here? It's a rough place, almost uncivilized in some respects."

"That's its appeal." Meredith busied herself removing their empty plates. "I love the very wildness of the place. I like this rustic cabin. I like the simple ways of the people." She seized the opportunity and added pointedly, "I like the fact that it's not spoiled by tourists and commercialism."

She saw a frown cross his brow, but it vanished as swiftly as it appeared. "I thought Americans worshiped tourism," he said, and she heard an unpleasant sharpness in his voice. Had he thought she might condone such a plan as he had in mind for promoting tourism in Corridan?

"Some do, I suppose. But I don't. I can't bear to visit some of the tourist towns near where I live. They've turned into nothing but streets lined with souvenir shops selling rubber tomahawks and moccasins made in China."

Ian stood and went to stir the fire. "I'd hate to think what tourism would do to Corridan. Those kinds of shops would be selling little plastic replicas of Duneagen Castle. Or fake brass letter openers with the castle on top."

Meredith heard the bitterness in his tone and couldn't believe he was pretending. If this man planned to clear the village to make way for tourism, he was certainly putting on a convincing act to cover his scheme. Perhaps he was not Angus Stewart's employer after all. But if not, who was?

She joined him in front of the fire. "Tourism would ruin this place, Ian. Don't… don't ever let that happen."

He moved closer and touched her cheek, sending a delicious shiver down her spine. How she hoped he wasn't working with Stewart.

"It'll not happen as long as I have a say in what goes on around here. But there may be others with different ideas." He looked deeply into her eyes, his expression troubled. What was he implying?

She didn't have time to ask, for slowly, resolutely, he lowered his head until his lips met hers, and when they touched in the most tender of kisses, she forgot all about tourism and clan feuds. His arms enfolded her and drew her against him, and she leaned into the breadth of his chest, closing her eyes to all but the moment. The warmth and strength of his embrace filled some deep emptiness within her, a loneliness she had successfully ignored until now, and she opened her lips to him. His kiss deepened, replacing tenderness with a heightened passion that only whetted her appetite for more.

Then as suddenly as it began, it was over. Ian released her and stood back, holding her away from him. "Why did you let me do that?" he whispered hoarsely.

She couldn't reply, as raw emotion seized her breath and tightened her throat. She hadn't let him do anything. Had she? He had simply taken what he wanted. She found her voice at last. "I think you had better leave now."

The chimes of the clock in the hall rang Westminster style, keeping Tan fully aware in fifteen-minute increments of the night that was escaping him. He tossed on (he bed, hammered his fist into the pillow, and cursed himself for ever having called on Meredith Wentworth. Because now there was no escaping her. She was under his skin like a thistle, and try as he might, he didn't seem to be able to go back to the time before the kiss. Or to return to objectivity about her. She was everywhere. In his mind, in his senses, in his very soul, it would seem.

And yet, he mustn't be naive. She had talked a good line about not wanting tourism to spoil the area, but it could have been just that-a line.

Sometime past two A.M., sleep finally claimed him, but it was a sleep filled with unfriendly dreams about a beautiful but deceitful woman who made love to him while behind his back arranging for his demise. He awoke exhausted and filled with renewed determination to discover who was behind the threats brought by Angus Stewart.

"Has Britton called yet?" It was only eight o'clock on * Monday morning, but Ian could wait no longer and telephoned his office.

"It's early," his secretary reminded him.

Ian didn't give a damn how early it was. He realized he'd only given his barrister a few days to investigate Angus Stewart's claims, but he wanted answers. If Meredith Wentworth was in any way connected to the scheme proposed by Stewart, he must know it immediately. Before he let any more of his heart slip away.

'Tm going to Aberdeen," he said, making an impulsive decision. "Would you please place a call to Britton's office and see if he can have lunch with me? I should be there by noon. One o'clock at the latest."

It was half past twelve when he pulled into the parking lot of the law firm. George Britton was waiting for him, but from the look on his face, Ian surmised he did not have good news.

"Let's discuss this whole thing over a pint," Britton suggested gently. •

They walked the short distance to a nearby pub and ordered lunch, then the elderly barrister held up his pint of dark Scottish stout. "Here's luck to you, Ian, And it looks as though you're going to need it. I've done the checking you asked of me, and what Angus Stewart claims appears to be true. Your ancestors stole Dun-eagen Castle from the Macraes." Ian stopped drinking the bitter ale in mid-sip and stared at his longtime legal representative..

"You're joking."

Britton set his pint down again and waved a hand in the air. "Now, don't get all upset. That's not to say you don't have legal ownership of it. Lots of land and properties changed hands that way back then. It could, however, mean a court battle to prove your right to the title and castle, and that takes time and money, not to mention the headache."

Ian groaned. "Who's behind it? Who hired Stewart?"

"Stewart's a lowlife. No self-respecting Scotsman would employ him. He works primarily for foreign interests. Does lots of work for American oil companies." '

"So who hired him?" Ian asked again.

"I can't prove it, but word is around that a consortium of American investors who own a large cruise-line company has eyes on Duneagen Castle and the town of

Corridan. They want to turn it into some sort of resort, a fantasy port of call that will give their rich customers a trip back in time, so to speak, so they can play at being in olden-day Scotland. It sounds like the kind of thing Stewart would get involved in. What's he offered you?"

Cold disappointment knifed through Ian. An American cruise-line company? Did Meredith work for them? She claimed to be the heir of Archibald Macrae, but the arrival of an American in Corridan at this time seemed just too coincidental. His suspicions that she was somehow involved in this development scheme were too strong for even the memory of her kiss to overcome.

Ian answered Britton's question, and the barrister winced. "Sounds like it's time for pre-emptive action."

Ian listened distractedly as George Britton rambled on, assuring him that the court would uphold Sinclair ownership of Duneagen Castle, but his mind was on Meredith Wentworth. Please don't let her be involved in this, his heart pleaded. Don't be a fool, his mind warned.

At last he could stand it no longer. He laid a twenty pound note on the table and stood to go. "Sorry, old chap. I can't wait for lunch. By all means get the ownership thing sorted out with the courts as quickly as possible. And keep an eye on Stewart, won't you? He seems a devious little devil. Call me if you learn anything more about these Americans, too."

Before George Britton could overcome his surprise at his client's sudden departure, Ian was out the door, car keys in hand. Nothing, not even ownership of the castle, was more important to him at the moment than to hear from Meredith's lips that she was not involved in any of this. He only hoped he could tell if she were lying.

Chapter Eight

The grocer was polite but not friendly. The people she passed on the street either barely nodded, stared at her openly, or looked the other way. No one greeted her warmly as they had done previously. Meredith knew she was being shunned. It didn't take long in a little town for word to spread that she'd been seen with the enemy.

She'd thought Robert Macrae was her friend, but she'd quickly learned that even within a clan there were limits. And she'd gone over that limit last night in inviting Ian Sinclair to dinner.,

After her brief and somewhat unpleasant visit to the village to pick up a few supplies, she returned to the cottage and donned her hiking boots, then set out with a sandwich and a bottle of water to climb into the high moors. Maybe up there at the top of the world, the brisk wind would clear her mind, and she could put things into perspective again.

Her mind wouldn't let her wait until she had reached the heights, however. It kept going over and over her dilemma with each step she took: she was a Macrae wanting to be friends with a Sinclair. The clan's treatment of her angered her, for although Ian's visit hadn't been planned, she'd had every intention of using it to find out what he was up to, which would have helped them all. They had been discussing tourism, edging around the subject, when, well… the kiss had gotten in the way. Meredith blushed at the memory but didn't try to chase it away. At the moment, she felt far friendlier toward Ian Sinclair than she did toward her own clansmen.

The fact was, however, she'd missed her chance last night. The opportunity had come and gone for her to ask Ian point-blank for a straight answer about his intentions for the village. She wanted to see him again but had no idea if that would happen. And if she did, what made her think he would tell her the truth if she asked? Her feelings for Ian Sinclair were dangerous, for she was strongly attracted to him, and she was liable to believe him no matter what he told her. It horrified her to think she might truly be consorting with the enemy.

By the time she reached the crest of the moor high above Duneagen Castle, she was miserable and conflicted. She sat on a rock and bit into the sandwich but found it hard to swallow. She considered just packing up and leaving Corridan. Maybe she didn't belong here after all.

She didn't want to go, though, until she knew the fate of her own property, if nothing else. There was little she could do to defend it from the other side of the ocean if Ian tried to remove the villagers. She had to find out what was going on. But how? She had no car. She couldn't just pop over to Aberdeen and check out Angus Stewart. Nor did she have any idea how one went about going through property records in Scotland. Even before last night, Robert Macrae had not wanted her involved, and she was certain he would not welcome her intrusion into village affairs now. It seemed there was only one option. Ian. She must find him again and demand the truth. And be strong enough to handle it if he told her he was behind the plan to evict the villagers. She just couldn't believe it of him, but then, she didn't know him very well.

A drop of rain splashed against her face, then another and another. Meredith looked up. The sky was boiling with dark clouds. A storm had brewed over the mountain without her even being aware of it. She swore under her breath and started back down the slope along a path. The rain fell in large, cold drops, pelting her and soaking her light cotton sweater and jeans. She quickened her step, hurrying as fast as she dared, and slipped on the slick mud and fell. This time she swore out loud. She was unhurt, except ijpr a scrape on her right palm where she'd tried to catch herself, but her jeans were slimed with mud.

With greater caution, Meredith descended the moor, keeping to the path, although it was not the way she had come. She rounded a large boulder and to her surprise found herself squarely in front of Duneagen Castle. Without thinking, she dashed for cover beneath an eave. Maybe she could wait out the storm here instead of squishing her way home in the rain.

Meredith shivered in her wet clothes and wondered if Ian might be at the castle. His Land Rover was nowhere in sight, but there might be a garage somewhere. She felt her hair and knew it was disheveled. Her hands were dirty from her fall and wiping them on her grimy jeans didn't help. She decided not to knock on the door after all. If he were home, she didn't want him to see her in such a mess.

After fifteen minutes, the rain showed no sign of letting up. Uncomfortably cold and damp, Meredith decided she had little to lose by going on to her cottage. At least there she could take a hot bath and have some tea. Clenching her jaw, she stepped out into the downpour and walked as fast as she could down the road that led to the village. She'd gone less than half a mile when she saw the headlights of a vehicle coming toward her, and she moved to the side of the road. The driver slowed as he approached her, and she saw with dismay that it was a dark green Land Rover. The laird had returned to his castle.

He opened the passenger door. "Get in."

Numb with cold and weary to the bone, she didn't argue. He turned up the heater and continued on up the hill.

Meredith had thought he would take her home. "Where are we going?"

"To the castle. We have some talking to do."

She looked like a drenched urchin as she shivered in the scat next to him, and Ian wished that he could comfort her rather than accuse her. He longed to hold her and kiss her as he had last night, but before that could hap-pen again-ever-he had to know who she really was and why she was really here.

He parked as close to the front entrance of the residential wing as he could and helped her inside the castle. "Here," he said, covering her shoulders with a throw that was slung over the back of a sofa. He led her to a chair by the fireplace. "I'll start a fire. It'll help dry ye out.” He saw her trembling uncontrollably and knew a fire wouldn't do it. She needed dry clothing. Now.

“I have another idea, if you're comfortable with it."

She turned her enormous green eyes on him, and he felt his heart go into meltdown. "What's that?" she asked.

"Ye, uh, ye need to get out of your wet things. Obviously, I don't have anything your size, but I do have a large robe ye could wear until your clothes dry out."

"Do you have a hot shower to go along with?" She gave him a shy grin. "I'm freezing."

Ian thought about the plumbing and prayed that it would hold together for her. "Aye, sure. Come along. Ill build that fire while ye bathe." He led her up the stairs to one of the guest rooms, his mind overheated with thoughts of Meredith Wentworth naked in the shower. "There's soap and shampoo and the like in the bathroom. Please make yourself at home. I'll bring the robe and hang it in the bedroom."

He left her and went down to his room where he found a heavy woolen robe in his closet. It was oversized, a dark brown plaid, not at all feminine. So much the better, he thought, returning upstairs with it and hanging it on a valet stand. As sexy as she was even in dirty jeans, he would need all the defenses he could muster to stay objective. They would be together only for a short time, but there was little chance of being interrupted. He must use this opportunity to learn whether or not Meredith Wentworth had come to Corridan in the employ of the cruise-line company.

When she returned to the large main hall, Ian had a fire blazing in the huge stone hearth. He looked up and knew his first line of defense had failed. Fresh from the shower, she was more beautiful than ever, despite the drab brown robe. Her damp hair fell in golden-red waves past her shoulders and played seductively around the open neckline of the robe. Beyond that neckline, he caught a hint of the delectable curves that he knew lay hidden beneath the woolen fabric. She gave him a smile that finished his destruction.

"Got socks?" she asked, curling one bare foot across the other.

He went to her and picked her up, carrying her easily to the overstuffed chair closest to the fire. He took the bundle of wet clothes from her and set it on the hearth. "Your feet must be like ice. Wait here a minute." He dashed back into his bedroom and found some heavy, ugly brown boot socks that would complete her ensemble perfectly, he thought wryly. It didn't matter. The woman was stunning in anything she wore.

And in nothing at all, he imagined. Damn. He shouldn't be thinking things like that. Stay in control, he warned himself as he returned with the socks. But he felt the hard evidence that his body wasn't listening to him.

He watched as she put on the socks and longed to run his hands over the smooth skin of her exposed calves. He fought to stay composed, but it was a losing battle.

"I'd offer ye tea, but I don't think I have any in the place. I don't stay here often."

Meredith stood up and adjusted the tie belt, the only thing that held the robe closed. "I don't need tea, thanks. The bath took away the chill. But I need to get these things dry. May I hang them by the fire? I can't very well go home in your bathrobe," she added, with an uncertain, almost embarrassed little laugh that he found endearing.

Ian didn't want her to go home. At all. Ever. Odd, he thought, how she seemed to light up this gloomy old place. He rigged a line of twine between a table and the back of a chair, and it sufficed to support her jeans, sweater, and delicate lingerie. He turned his eyes away from the latter. It made his already urgent problem even worse.

"No tea, but how about some whisky? I have a store of Duneagen's finest." He needed a drink whether she did or not.

"Okay, but just a tot."

He filled two small dram glasses with the finest single-malt Scotch available anywhere and was suddenly proud that he could offer it to her. He'd screwed up a lot of things, but his management of the distillery had led it to a worldwide reputation for excellence. He handed her one of the glasses, then raised his to her.

"Here's te us, fas like us, damn fa, and they's all deed."

She laughed out loud. "What's that?"

"Why, an 'auld Scottish toast.' I'm surprised ye haven't heard it." He savored her childlike delight.

"I'm" sure there's lots I haven't heard," she murmured, taking a sip. "But I'm willing to learn."

Her eyes held his, and the room grew so quiet all that could be heard was the sound of their breathing. "I'd willingly be your teacher," he whispered. He knew better than to step closer, but he did anyway, and suddenly she was in his arms. He tasted the drink on her lips and it was sweeter than anything he could imagine. "Ah, Meredith Macrae," he breathed. "What is it you're doin' in my arms?" He ran one hand through her silken hair, and she tilted her head back and looked up at him with eyes that reflected a passion as hungry as his own.

"Weren't you going to teach me something?"

Chapter Nine

Meredith seemed consumed by heat, from the bath, the lire, the whisky, and the desire that raged through her body. She hadn't meant for anything like this to happen, but now that she was in Ian's arms, she never wanted to leave. She let him take the dram glass from her, then lift her gently and carry her into an adjoining room where he laid her on an enormous bed. "Meredith?"

She heard her name spoken from somewhere that seemed far away, but when she opened her eyes, Ian's lace was intimately close to hers, his eyes seeking permission.

"Yes, Ian." She splayed her hands over the strong features of his face and drew it to hers. "Yes, please." As she kissed him, she heard a small groan escape his throat. She felt his fingers loosen the tie belt, then draw the robe away, exposing one side of her body. While his hps explored her mouth, his hand explored that side, slowly, tantalizingly, moving with exquisite deliberation down the length of her neckline, across her breast, past the curve of her waist, over her hip, and back around, coming to rest on the soft mound of her pubic curls. With a sharp intake of breath as he began to intimately explore her, she arched against him, something deep within craving the fulfillment promised by his touch.

Moments later, she felt him shift his weight across her body. He removed the other half of the robe and performed his magic on that bare skin. Meredith thought she might die from the need he was building within her. Never had she been loved like this. It was as if he were worshiping her with each caress, and with each caress, her desire flamed, obliterating her reason, destroying all caution.

Just when she thought she could take no more, he stopped and drew away from her. "I want to see ye," he said, kneeling beside her, removing her arms from the huge sleeves of the robe. His voice was thick with his own desire as his eyes wandered from the top of her head to the tip of her toes. She lay naked and unashamed before him and let him devour her with his gaze.

"I want to see you, too," she murmured at last and watched in pleasure and anticipation as he removed his shirt, then stood and took off his pants and shorts.

His body was as magnificent as the Highland mountains themselves. Broad shoulders settled across a muscular chest before his torso tapered toward his hips. His legs were long and well formed, his arms brawny. She saw the strength of his desire and held out her arms to him, for it was her desire as well.

He knelt across her and entwined her fingers in his, his eyes never leaving hers. He entered her gently, easing into her with the same slow deliberation, driving her passion out of control. Again she arched into him, and she felt the first flicker of that sweet satiation her body demanded. She wanted more, but he moved away, only to return with a deeper thrust, and she rose to meet his lover's assault. He smiled down at her, and she felt their bodies begin to move in a rhythm that carried her higher and higher with each stroke. She tried to keep her eyes open, locked on his, but the sensation was too exquisite, and she closed them as she cried out when he brought her to a crescendo of delight. He crested the wave with her, and she felt the delicious pulse of his body within her, filling her, making her whole.

He lay down lightly upon her, wrapped one leg around her, then turned to one side, holding her against him in their intimate embrace. "Oh, my God, Meredith," he whispered, "what a woman ye are."

She was unable to speak or move or think or scarcely even breathe. He was everywhere she wanted him to be. Around her, within her, in her mind and heart, body and soul. She may have made a terrible mistake in this, but this was an experience she would cherish for the rest of her life, no matter what the consequences.

"I… don't generally fall into bed with virtual strangers," she said, finding her voice at last, teasing the hair on his chest with one finger.

"Nor I." He drew her even closer with his leg. "You've made me lose my mind, lass."

She looked into his eyes. "Lass. I've never been called a lass before. It's so… Scottish."

"Do ye like it?"

"I do."

"Hmmm. Did ye hear what ye just said? Ye said, 'I do.' I like the sound of that."

Meredith blinked. He couldn't mean… "What are you talking about?"

He kissed her forehead. "Do ye suppose a Sinclair could marry a Macrae without everyone in the territory i a king up arms?"

Meredith held very still. Marry? Was he serious? "Is that a proposal?"

"Aye,'tis."

"But… but we barely know one another." "I thought 'twas rather well-acquainted we just became."

Meredith's heart began to race all over again. This couldn't be happening. She'd known this man less than a week and, although she was overwhelmingly attracted to him, there were still many things about him she distrusted. Falling into bed with him might be bad judgment, but marrying him so hastily could be disaster. She placed her hand on his chest and drew away slightly.

"When you picked me up on the road, you said we needed to talk about something. Is this what you meant?"

Ian shifted and they separated. Meredith felt the loss and shivered. He threw the bedspread over them and drew her back into his arms. "No, actually, it wasn't what I had in mind."

No one was more surprised than Ian Sinclair when the proposal of marriage came out of his mouth. Marriage was something he'd thought he might consider one day, but not for years yet. He'd been married to his work and to the ongoing project with the castle. There simply hadn't been time to think about it, or a woman worth thinking about.

Then along came Meredith Wentworth, Meredith Macrae Wentworth, and suddenly marriage seemed the most logical step in the world. If, that is, they could settle the rather major issue that still loomed between them. He held her close and jumped into it with both feet.

"Ever heard of a company called New Horizons Cruise Lines?"

"I've seen their ads on television. Why?"

"They want to buy this castle."

Meredith turned wide eyes on him. "What on earth for?"

"The same reason they're after the land in the village. They want to run us all off and create a vacation resort here as one of their fantasy ports of call."

He jumped when she bolted out of his arms and sat up, clutching the bedspread to her. "Why, that little weasel. He's playing both ends against the middle."

"It wouldn't be Angus Stewart of which ye speak?"

She jerked her head toward him, and he saw the fire m her eyes. "What did he offer you? Or should I say threaten you with?"

Ian knew in that instant that Meredith had nothing to do with Stewart's deceit, and joy surged in his heart. He told her the details and watched as her eyes widened in astonishment and then narrowed again in disgust.

"Why, he's the sleaziest, slimiest bastard I've ever run across."

"And I thought ye were a lady," Ian teased, but agreed wholeheartedly with her opinion. He was curious, though, as to how she knew about Stewart. She must have heard something in the village. "Your turn. What do ye know about him?"

"He came to the village and informed my kin that they don't own their land, and that you, the mighty Earl of Sinclair, were about to enforce another clearing. He said you were going to turn the village into a tourist attraction. He failed to mention New Horizons Cruise Lines."

It was Ian's turn to explode. "I would never dream of such a thing… even if I owned the land! Which as far as I know, I don't."

Meredith snuggled down next to him in the bed. She was quiet for long moment, then whispered, "I owe you an apology, Ian. Like the rest of the Macraes, I've doubted you. I didn't know if Stewart's claim was true or not. That's what I was trying to find out last night when I started talking about tourism."

Ian drew her closer. "I owe ye an apology of my own," he said softly, kissing her hair. "Stewart showed up in my office just a day or two after ye arrived in Corridan. When he made his threat, I concluded that it was just too coincidental that ye both came to this remote little village at the same time. I thought ye must somehow be involved with him, maybe had even hired him."

"What! You couldn't-"

"Wait a minute. It gets worse," he added unhappily. "Last night, ye convinced me that ye couldn't possibly be involved in a scheme to promote tourism. By the way," he added with a small laugh, "ye also stole my heart." He felt her move closer, but it didn't make his confession any easier. "Today, when I found out that the cruise-line company was American, I was suspicious all over again. It was one thing to think ye, a stranger, might be about to betray me, but after last night, ye weren't just a stranger anymore. Ye see, I'd fallen in love with ye, and I couldn't bear it if ye were really only just a beautiful enemy." He paused, then added, "That's what I wanted to talk about."

She looked up at him with a bemused smile. "So what am I? Friend or foe?"

"Would I propose to a foe?"

"I'm a Macrae," she reminded him, "and you didn't know the truth about Angus Stewart's scheme when you proposed."

"I knew ye, and that's all I needed to know."

Chapter Ten

The rain relinquished its stranglehold on the mountains, and Meredith let go of her last doubts about Ian as the two of them lay on the bed, intermingling discussion of the solicitor's scheme to take Corridan and the castle with lovemaking and talk of what-ifs that only the day before would have seemed impossible. With some effort, she managed to convince him that they should postpone any talk of marriage until the issue of land ownership was clarified and any misunderstandings sorted out between the Macraes and the Sinclairs. "It would just give the clans something else to squabble over," she pointed out. "Neither clan is going to like the idea."

She didn't tell him that her real reason for deferring his proposal was that everything had moved too quickly where her heart was concerned. She knew she'd fallen in love with Ian, but marriage, so hastily… that was something else.

She watched him now as he drove away and missed him immediately. Is that what it feels like to be married? Closing the door to the cottage behind her, she looked around the cozy dwelling. Only days before she had considered how easy it would be to remain here. Now she was trying to talk herself out of it. Why? The answer, she knew, was fear. She thought of Ian's proposal, delivered in a moment of profound intimacy. Had he really meant it? They scarcely knew one another.

Yet, she could not dismiss his proposal out of hand, for Ian Sinclair was unlike any man she had ever met. There was something, some invisible tie, some bond, that had stretched between them the moment they'd met. Had he felt it, too?

Rattled, Meredith changed clothes and made tea, marveling at how her priorities could shift in so short a time. Her gaze came to rest on the chest in the corner containing her Macrae treasures. Could a Sinclair marry a Macrae without creating trouble? She recalled the dark look on Robert Macrae's face and the way she'd been shunned by the villagers simply for having dinner with a Sinclair. What on earth could have caused such a lasting feud in the first place? With a rueful shake of her head, she lifted the chest and brought it to the table. She opened the box and removed the items one by one. She was proud of her heritage but not proud of the continuing involvement of her clan in a feud. Because of it, the treasures in this chest seemed somehow tarnished.

At the bottom of the chest nestled the ancient woolen tablecloth. She eased it out and carried it carefully to the couch where she unfolded it to its full size and draped it gingerly over the sofa. Although it had yellowed with age, after two centuries it was still a piece of great beauty, handwoven and decorated with a wide band of embroidery around the hem.

Meredith held it up to examine the fine stitching but could find no familiar pattern to the work. Extending her arms, she studied the overall effect and suddenly realized that the border wasn't sewn with any ordinary embroidery stitch. The design was created from ancient Gaelic symbols strung together into words, words that were in turn stitched into sentences. Her breath caught in her throat.

Locating the beginning of the embroidery, she slowly began to read the words aloud. The style was foreign to her ears, the words difficult to translate, but as she worked her way around the cloth, she was astounded that she was reading the story of the young cattle thief who avoided hanging by marrying the laird's ugly daughter!

At first she thought the tale must be a well-known folk story that someone had whimsically turned into an embroidery pattern, until she came upon the name of the laird-Duncan Macrae. And that of the thief-Peter Sinclair.

She murmured a quiet expletive and read on. The embroiderer apparently was none other than the ugly bride herself, and she stitched a far less humorous tale into the following lines. According to her account, her father and mother both died shortly after her marriage to the thief. Her new husband then murdered her brother, the legitimate heir, and claimed the land and the castle for his own.

Duneagen Castle.

Meredith's hands began to tremble. Peter Sinclair soon after cleared his newly acquired land that was occupied mainly by Macraes. The towns were sacked and burned and were replaced with huge flocks of sheep.

Dropping the edge of the cloth, she gazed unseeing into the room. So Angus Stewart wasn't lying! If this were the truth, a Sinclair had stolen the castle and land from the Macraes. Maybe Ian did not own the castle after all.

But if Peter Sinclair's clearing had been somehow sanctioned by the government, as many were in those days, then the villagers might have no claim to their land if they couldn't prove it had been purchased from the Sinclair.

Meredith was dumbfounded. No wonder the Macraes hated the Sinclairs. Even she felt indignant. But these events had happened some two hundred years ago, she reminded herself. It was time for both clans to get past them:

Meredith bent her head to translate the remaining short lines. That Peter Sinclair's wife had hated him was evident from what she read next:

May the dark of the night curse the name of Sinclair,

May strife on the land he his penance,

'Til the day comes to pass that a true-blooded heir

Of Macrae returns to the palace.

Strife on the land. The feud. Until recently, continuing bloodshed on both sides. Was the land cursed? Meredith tried to dismiss the thought, but couldn't. What was a curse except something that when believed often came true, like a self-fulfilling prophecy? She recalled the woman at the pub saying it was "th' curse" that had brought Angus Stewart and his threat to their doorsteps. If these people had believed in such a curse for all this time, it would take nothing less than changing the complete mind-set of two clans of very stubborn-headed Scots to make peace between them. It seemed impossible. Her eyes fell on the final two words of the embroidery, the signature of the writer: Megan Macrae. The ugly bride. Meredith could almost feel her pain.

The thought of Megan Macrae, however, also gave her an idea. A Macrae had cast the curse. Could another Macrae dispel it?

Ian left Corridan both encouraged and anxious. It had been three days since he had asked Meredith to marry him and though she had not turned him down, still she had not agreed. He knew she was wary of such a hasty wedding, but he had no doubts in his heart whatsoever that she was the woman destined to be his life's mate.

In addition to her concern about their brief courtship, Meredith had also remained adamant that the feud be resolved before they wed. "How can we expect to live happily ever after if neither of us can be part of our clans?" she asked, and he knew it was a valid concern. At first, uniting the Sinclairs and the Macraes had seemed an impossibility. Then she'd shared with him the archive she'd discovered embroidered into the hem of the tablecloth and with her innate good sense had suggested a plan that might resolve both his and the village's problems with Angus Stewart. It was not a solution to the two-hundred-year-old feud, but it had led to surprising cooperation between the clans.

He accelerated and climbed the steep grade that led out of the village. He had just enough time to drive to Craigmont, pick up his special guest, one that no one, especially Meredith, expected, and return for the meeting that had been called at the church.

An hour and a half later, he pulled into the car park beside the small white chapel, and his heart gave a little lurch. Would it work? Not just Meredith's plan, but his own as well? He turned to the man who sat next to him. "Wish me luck, Reverend."

Inside, Robert Macrae stood at the front of the church. His clansmen had claimed the pews on the right-hand side. On the left, a surprising number of Sinclairs had gathered. Neither group was cordial to the other, and the Macrae wore a skeptical frown. Ian took a deep breath and strode to the front to greet the rival chieftain. Where was Meredith?

Moments later, the door opened again, and Ian looked up to see a familiar, beloved figure enter the church. Meredith was more beautiful than he'd ever seen her, with her hair falling in coppery waves over the purple angora sweater and the tartan skirt flowing to her ankles. She looked at him with unmistakable love in her eyes, and he took heart.

Behind her followed a not-so-beloved figure. Angus Stewart. Ian enjoyed watching the confident smirk on his face shift to shock and concern at seeing the clan chieftains together. Robert Macrae had invited the solicitor to the meeting at the church, telling him that the villagers had come to an agreement. Ian had then called him and asked for a meeting just two hours later. Obviously, Stewart had come to Corridan believing he had two deals in hand, one to complete at the church, the other just afterward. Ian laughed. His deals would be completed, all right.

"Now see here, Sinclair," Angus Stewart called out, pushing past Meredith and hurrying down the aisle. "Just what do you think you are doing here?"

Ian let him get almost to the front, then replied coldly, "Lower your voice, Mr. Stewart. Ye are in the house of God. Please take a seat."

Stewart stopped in mid-stride, glaring at Ian. "What the hell do you think-"

Ian, a full head taller than Stewart, glared down at him. "Shut your mouth, Mr. Stewart. You've had your turn at talking. Now it's time to listen." Ian took Stewart by the arm and forced him to take a seat in the front pew. Then he looked up and nodded to Meredith to join him. When she reached his side, he took her hand, and he heard a communal murmur from both sides of the church.

Ian gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, although his own pulse was beating rapidly. He turned to the congregation. "I thank ye all for coming," he began. He looked from one side to the other. " 'Tis been a long time since the Macraes and the Sinclairs shared a house of worship." He heard a rustle of disconcerted laughter before he went on. "It's been too long. And for too long our clans have fought one another. 'Tis time to put an end to these useless hostilities. The Macrae and I, and this lovely lass, are here today to ask ye to bring this lend to a close."

Meredith was deeply touched by the sincerity in Ian's plea but even more by the effort he had made to honor her wishes. She knew it had taken a lot of both courage and patience to work with Robert Macrae over the past few days to bring this meeting about. None of them had any idea whether their plan would be successful, but i hey had all three agreed that the time had come to bring everything into the light of day and try to get their fellow clansmen to see the futility of their ongoing quarrel. They had chosen the church for the meeting place, doubting that anyone would resort to violence within a house of worship.

In the silence that followed Ian's startling request, Meredith saw people lean forward, astonishment written on their faces but curiosity precluding them from interrupting Ian. Pride swelled in her heart to see that he had the power to influence.both clans and the integrity to use that power for peace. He was a man she would be proud to marry. One day. She listened as he continued.

"For two centuries, this feud has cost both our clans the blood of our brothers. More recently, it might have cost us all everything we own." He nodded at Stewart. "This… ah… gentleman"-he emphasized the last word cynically-"almost managed to use our animosity toward one another to steal away your village," he said to the Macraes, "and your clan's castle," he added, addressing the Sinclairs.

Angus Stewart burst to his feet with indignation, but Ian pressed him back into the bench with firm hands on both shoulders. " 'Tis your turn to listen, remember?" At the clear threat in his voice, the man retreated, and Ian continued.

"On Monday last I was visited by Mr. Stewart, who informed me that he represented a group of investors who wished to buy Duneagen Castle and restore it, purely from their loyalty to Scottish heritage. But he also threatened that if I didn't sell it, and at a 'right' price, he would reveal that his research shows that the Sinclairs don't own the castle at all."

The silence was shattered with a buzz of amazed speculation, but Ian held up his hands and continued. "Mr. Macrae, would ye be so kind as to tell my kinsmen exactly what. Mr. Stewart offered your people?"

Ian's rival turned to the Sinclairs and repeated the solicitor's claim that the Macraes did not own their land and that the Sinclair was preparing to execute a clearing to make way for a tourist resort. He concluded by outlining the offer of their relocation. "I doubt if it would bring tears t' any of yeer eyes to see us go," he added with a sardonic laugh, "but I can clearly see Mr. Stewart's scheme, and I for one would like t' see th' lout at th' end of a rope for tryin't' stir up trouble between us again."

A rumble of agreement issued from both sides, and from the corner of her eye, Meredith caught the distress on Stewart's face. Let him squirm, she thought. Let the little worm squirm.

Ian took the floor again. "The only thing that needs clearing here is the air. As long as we're at it, I'd like to ask, does anyone know what caused the feud in the first place? What have we been fighting about all this time?"

The members of both clans stared at him blankly. Then one young man from Sinclair country stood. "I heerd it was because a Macrae killed a Sinclair."

"Well, ye heerd wrong," challenged a strapping jumbo-sized Macrae. "It's ye Sinclairs that murdered our brethren." Meredith cringed, half expecting a brawl to break out in the church after all.

"Quiet!" Ian's voice boomed above the din of the commotion. The crowd calmed and turned toward him again. "If we're ever to get this settled, we must know the history. This woman," he said, turning to Meredith, holds the truth in her hands. Mr. Macrae, she is of your clan. I ask permission that she be allowed to reveal what she has discovered."

"Ye have it.".

“I also must seek your agreement that whatever is revelled will be considered strictly as the history of the matter, not an incitement to new hostilities." Ian extended his hand to Robert Macrae, who accepted it.

"Agreed," said the Macrae, and the two men shook hands.

Emotion tightened Meredith's throat, but she cleared it and explained briefly about the message she had discovered embroidered into the hem of the tablecloth. I hen she began to read the story of the beginnings of the feud. At first she heard a titter of laughter when the listeners recognized the familiar story of the ugly bride and the doomed bridegroom. But as she continued, the room grew deathly quiet as the folk tale turned from mere legend to harsh history. She was nearly finished when a ruckus broke out again, the Sinclairs claiming it to be a lie, the Macraes indignant at the wrong perpetrated by Peter Sinclair. With difficulty, Ian managed to quiet them.

"Finish," he told her, and Meredith read aloud the curse of Megan Macrae:

May the dark of the night curse the name of Sinclair,

May strife on the land be his penance,

'Til the day comes to pass that a true-blooded heir

Of Macrae returns to the palace.

She looked up, wondering what would happen next. Ian cleared his throat. "Whether a true curse was cast against my kinsmen, or whether 'tis the curse of hatred that has blighted both our clans, there's been enough strife on this land. Our stubborn resentment against one another almost allowed this outsider to steal away our lands and our heritage."

Robert Macrae stepped forward. "Aye. What th' Sinclair says is true. And if it hadn't been for another outsider, this lass who had the courage to challenge tradition," he said, placing his hand on Meredith's shoulder, "we might have succumbed to this man's plot. Tis time t' vow an oath t' end th' feud, now and forever. Do I have your pledge?" he demanded of his clansmen in a voice strong and resolute. After a moment's hesitation, each person rose and nodded, murmuring a commingled "Aye."

Ian charged his own clan with the same oath, and they in turn stood and agreed. Tears filled Meredith's eyes. Could this be happening? Could they be making peace at last? She had every reason to believe so, for Ian had told her if they could get the clansmen to commit in public, their honor would hold them to their vows. She felt Ian's hand slip into hers.

"Very well, then. The feud is ended, by our word of honor." He turned to her, and in front of the entire congregation said, "Will ye marry me now, lass?"

Meredith's cheeks burned, and she heard the murmur of amazement rustle through the crowd, an astonishment that matched her own, but she looked into his eyes and saw the love of her life who had just moved heaven and earth for her. "Yes. I will marry you."

Ian turned to those gathered in the little church. "If there ever was a curse, it will be broken now forever, for tonight a true-blooded heir of Macrae will be returned to the palace."

Meredith jerked her head. "Tonight?" He grinned at her. "Ye said ye would marry me. Now." He turned and motioned toward the side door. "I've brought Reverend Fraser from Craigmont to join us in holy matrimony. 'Tis living proof the Macraes and the Sinclairs can dwell together in peace. Will ye?"

Meredith's heart pounded, but her fear dissolved. Only she and Ian, and perhaps Robert Macrae, knew that ending the feud was not her reason for marrying him, but she didn't care what the rest thought. Feud or no feud, the love that had sprung so suddenly between (lum could not be denied. It was a love that she felt deep m her heart, a love that transcended time and place, that demanded fulfillment in their marriage. "Yes," she whispered.

"This is an outrage!" Angus Stewart jumped to his feet. "I object. This is not a sacred marriage. It's a farce and a blasphemy, a last-ditch effort by the Sinclair to manipulate the Macraes." He turned to that faction. "Don't you see he's just marrying her to gain your sympathy? She's not even one of you."

Robert Macrae charged at Stewart and grabbed him by the lapels on his jacket. " 'Tis too late, Stewart," he snarled. "Your little scheme didn't work. Meredith Macrae is one of us, and this wedding will bring us together once and for all. You're the outsider here, and you're not wanted."

"Hang him!"

Stunned, Meredith looked toward the man who'd called out. It was the old storyteller from whom she'd first heard the tale of the cattle thief and the ugly bride. He pushed through the crowd until he reached Robert Macrae, who relinquished his hold on Stewart and stepped aside.

"We still hang thieves in these parts," the storyteller hissed into Stewart's alarmed face. "And ye're nothin' but a thief, tryin't' pit us against one another again so ye can steal our land. Give up your objection, Mr. Stewart, and let this weddin' commence."

Meredith's pulse thrummed in her ears, and the rest of the church stared at the two men in uneasy antici-

pation. Angus Stewart, wide-eyed and pale, was too tongue-tied to answer. The old man moved his face even closer.

"A weddin' or a hangin', Mr. Stewart, what'll it be?"

Angus Stewart's beady eyes darted from one face to another, and Meredith saw a sheen of sweat on his forehead. He picked up his hat, and, with an anxious glance over his shoulder, hurried down the aisle and out the door of the church.

She turned to Ian and saw amusement rather than triumph in his eyes, and her heart swelled once again. Even though he had defeated the solicitor, Ian Sinclair showed no sign of malice toward his enemy. He was the kind of man who would always play fair with his opponents, and she knew without a doubt she could trust him with her heart. Taking a deep breath, Meredith let go of her earlier apprehensions about marrying so hastily. She didn't know if the wedding Ian had arranged on the spot would even be legal-didn't they have to have a license or something?-but it didn't matter. A true-blooded heir of Macrae would indeed return to the palace tonight. They could take care of the details later. She smiled up into the handsome face of her very own Scotsman, and in the strongest imitation of his accent she could muster, she said, "I think 'tis th' weddin' he's chosen."